Chris Powell's blog

Our busy sping began with the introduction of our new contest up-tune How Far We'll Go from the movie Moana with arrangement by Matt Astle and new lyrics by Ira Allen and Dan Keating. We got a chance to try out the new tune when NWS competed at the Division II contest then performed on the evening show as the champions.

The finale to the annual awards dinner was an induction into the NWS Hall of Fame. This year the inductee was Bobby Gray Jr., director of NWS from late 1990 to 1998, who was present to receive the honor. Bobby’s tenure with NWS was marked by numerous feats and accomplishments for the chorus. In his first year he took NWS to an Evergreen District championship while at the same time taking his prior chorus, Sun Harbor Chorus, to their district championship. The following year, NWS was 12th at International in Louisville. Under Bobby’s direction, NWS repeated as district champions in 1991, 1992 and 1994 and placed 9th twice at International in New Orleans and in Calgary. Bobby was also a significant motivating force behind the 1991 merger of NWS and the Lake Was

It was a special moment at the installation and awards dinner to have two members who helped create the chorus's character give their guidance and blessing to the new Board. Pictured, Chuck Landback and Killer Smith, two of Northwest Sound’s original Board of Directors, call up the new officers as they install the 2018 Board. The new board members are:

The chorus held its annual board installation and awards dinner last Saturday evening. It was an evening full of reflection, celebration, and more than a few tears as we reviewed 2017 and all that the chorus has done. In this, the first of several posts on the event, we celebrate the contributions of some outstanding members who were recognized. The chorus presented the following awards:

Northwest Sound will be performing at the Bellevue Festival d'Lights, Sunday November 26th at 6:30pm. We'll be in the Gathering Place at the entrance/exit of the Bellevue Botanical Gardens and will be performing selections from our standard and holiday repertoires. Come by and enjoy the amazing lights display and then cap the evening with our musical offering!

Northwest Sound holiday shows are coming soon and you can play a part in making it happen! The full-color program you receive at our shows is filled with background stories about the performers, our music-team leaders, our sing Sing SING community-service program plus ads for businesses that sponsor the chorus. You can become part of all this simply by placing an ad! When you do you’ll be joining our list of our long-time sponsors like Alaska Airlines, the Lockspot Café and Turner Piano Service. Your ad will be seen by hundreds of music fans and it will mark you and your business as being a supporter of NWS and your local a Capella performers!

Begun in 2010, sing! Sing! SING!(SSS) is Northwest Sound’s program of providing free a capella singing training for men of the community. Participants are given free group music lessons, sheet music and training media, participation in chorus rehearsals, and an opportunity to perform with the chorus in one of its annual holiday shows. In the program, participants learn a variety of singing techniques including basics of supportive breathing, word pronunciation, vocal production, ear training, voice-matching, and finding the message in a song, skills that are developed continually by all chorus members as they progress.

What's that you say? You can't make it to Las Vegas to see Northwest Sound on the stage at the Axis Theater? You're in luck, there is another option and it won't cost you nearly so much as airfare to Vegas! The contest is being streamed live at very reasonable rates. Browse to http://live.barbershop.org/17/index.php for more information, to test your video player, and to sign up for Live Stream coverage. We hope to see you there either in person or virtually.

The “Who’s on first?” buttons are in! The buttons promote our appearance at the upcoming International convention and contest in Las Vegas, where we will be the first chorus to compete. You won't want to miss it!

Thanks to the team who originated the idea and provided design guidance and encouragement. In no particular order they were: Bill Hickman, Dan Keating, Rob Mitchell, Joe Hage, John Ludeman, Kendall Williams, Ken Potter, and Ira Allen. Special thanks to Rob Mitchell for locating the original art for the Northwest Sound logo in its 1997 file format and Randy Forgaard for technical and artistic design, being able to create modern files from the obsolete originals, and knowing the best place to get buttons made.

We've had a lot of fun over the years, performing on the main stage at the Bellevue Strawberry Festival (pictured is our 2016 appearance). We've seen lovely sunny days and days so stormy it blew over canopies all over the park. The weather looks ideal this weekend so come and see us perform at 1:30pm on Sunday or just stop by our booth and sing a tag with chorus members and assorted others who might be gathered round enjoying the visitors. At Crossroads park, Saturday 10am-8pm, Sunday 10am-6pm. See the Festival web site for additional information.